Back Where I Started
by Disney United
Summary: After Aladdin and company leave the Citadel, Mozenrath has to pick up the pieces of his life. Just like always. (Story occurs after the events in the TV series episode: The Book of Khartoum).


Mozenrath picked himself off the ground, looking at the crumbled remains of the Citadel around him. Black dust and sand swirled around him, dirtying the little things that hadn't been utterly destroyed.

His gait was unsteady, his face a grimace as he picked his way through the rubble. A few coughs bubbled up, caused by both the dirt and the injuries he had sustained. The coughs and his labored breathing were the only sounds to grace the Land of the Black Sands, siding from the eery howling of the wind.

When Mozenrath finally made it to what used to be the entryway to his home, he was ready to collapse. However, he continued standing, trying to preserve what little pride remained.

It wasn't only the Citadel that had been destroyed. The old city had practically been leveled, a few random pillars or walls the only things left standing...like markers in a graveyard.

Mozenrath took a step forward, not watching where he was stepping. He promptly fell down, rolling down a few steps before meeting the rubble below. He coughed again, this time more violently. When his eyes (that had previously been squeezed shut) opened once more, they were glazed as the observed the droplets of blood that had fallen from his mouth, making the sand beneath him an even darker shade of black.

"Damn," he cursed breathlessly. He considered trying to stand once more, but he honestly believed his body couldn't take it. The pain was too much.

"Master?" a raspy voice called.

Mozenrath pushed himself up onto his elbows, not even realizing he had been laying down. "Xerxes," he called weakly. Almost immediately, his familiar appeared, the two different colored eyes flashing in concern.

"Mo...zenrath?" Xerxes questioned. The young sorcerer coughed once more, wincing as copper liquid filled his mouth. He spit bitterly, grimacing.

"I'm fine," he hissed, wiping his torn sleeve across his mouth. "Just..." he groaned suddenly, doubling over, his hands clasping his stomach.

"Master...You need help-"

Xerxes was cut off suddenly, as Mozenrath's hand wrapped around his throat, sufficiently cutting off his air supply. Xerxes choked, as he was pulled closer to his face.

Mozenrath looked like a rabid dog, his face contorted into an animalistic snarl. Dust, blood, and bruises served to create a severe and terrifying mask.

"I'm...fine..." he growled, eyes flashing. As soon as he words were forced out, Xerxes was released. The eel didn't fly away, though, instead remaining near his master.

Mozenrath slowly rolled onto his knees, his breaths coming in short little gasps, before he pulled himself to his feet. He swayed briefly, before managing to find his balance. He rose his eyes slowly, once again looking at the ruined world around him.

A strange and demonic laugh bubbled up within him, bursting forth from his throat like a tiger breaking out of it's cage. He cackled long and loud, his eyes shining with absolute madness, as he gripped the side of the doorway.

"Laugh with me, Xerxes!" Mozenrath demanded. Ever the loyal subject, Xerxes followed orders, albeit seeming a little uneasy. When Mozenrath suddenly stopped laughing, Xerxes followed suit.

Mozenrath sighed, looking humorously annoyed. "Wow...Aladdin and his posse know how to cause quite a bit of damage, don't they?"

"Aladdin...bad," Xerxes agreed.

Mozenrath chuckled briefly, once again bringing up his sleeve to wipe away the blood that had dribbled out of his mouth. "That he is, Xerxes." He stretched, his body making several ominous popping sounds. His wince was almost imperceptible. "Unfortunately, he didn't stick around long enough to clean up the mess he caused."

"Aladdin...bad AND lazy," Xerxes said.

Mozenrath flexed his hands. "Precisely. However, that means we have to clean up." Xerxes groaned. Mozenrath smirked, before a charming smile took up residence on his face. "But no worries, my friend. A mess like this..." he threw his arms out in a flamboyant gesture, the smile on his face growing wider. "It's nothing to the most powerful sorcerer in the entire world!"

Mozenrath swirled his cape around the two of them, stirring up the black sand. Suddenly, the duo found themselves in Mozenrath's throne room.

The sorcerer plopped down on his throne, as the sand slowly started crawling over every available surface. "Who needs a dream?" he asked Xerxes. "Who needs ambition? Who'd be the fool, in my position?"

Mozenrath sighed, stroking the tendrils of sand that had started to curl around his body. "Once I had dreams...now they're obsessions. Hopes become needs; lovers possessions."

The room was almost completely coated by the black sand, at that time, causing Xerxes to panic slightly. Mozenrath ignored him. "Then they move in, oh-so discreetly. Slowly at first, smiling too sweetly."

"Mozenrath!" Xerxes pleaded, as he watched his master be consumed by the sand, cepting for his head. Mozenrath merely smiled, closing his eyes as his voice carried on.

"I opened doors; they walked right through them. Called me their friend...I hardly knew them..."

Xerxes screamed as Mozenrath disappeared. The room was a solid mass of black sand, constantly moving like some unknown creature.

And then an explosion of light came from where Mozenrath had been sitting, as the young man stood up, wearing his typical gold, black, and indigo garb. He looked...completely normal, and uninjured, his skin having an almost glow to it. He smirked briefly at Xerxes, as light danced from his finger tips, across the room, restoring it to it's former glory.

"Now I'm where I want to be and who I want to be and doing what I always said I would and yet I feel I haven't won at all...Running for my life and never looking back in case there's someone right behind to shoot me down and say he always knew I'd fall..."

Mozenrath slowly walked across the floor of the glowing room, to his map of the Seven Deserts. He stepped upon it, smirking as it started spinning from the power he emanated.

"When the crazy wheel slows down," he laughed the phrase out, surprising Xerxes, for Mozenrath sounded absolutely and completely happy-something that very rarely happened.

However, the happy tones were quickly replaced with the normal bitter and ironic ones. "Where will I be, Xerxes?" He didn't give the eel a chance to answer. "Back where I started. That's where."

The beautiful glowing room dulled, slowly going back to how it always was. Mozenrath's outfit even dulled a bit, to match his surroundings. He sighed heavily, as the table below him quit spinning, taking the opportunity to go back and plop down in his throne.

Xerxes wasn't sure why, but he felt an immense sadness envelope him. He was sad for his master, to be honest, though he wasn't completely sure why. It was just some feeling that was lodged in his chest, with no exact explanation as to why it was there.

"Master..." Xerxes sighed. Mozenrath jolted slightly, before smirking maliciously at Xerxes. Immediately, the pity vanished, being replaced by fear.

"Xerxes...Perhaps we should begin planning our next attempt at taking over the Seven Deserts."

Xerxes nodded in affirmation, before leaving Mozenrath to go get whatever it was he needed.

Now that he was alone, Mozenrath let every facade he wore fall, sighing heavily as he leaned back into his chair. "Back...where I started..."

**_A/N I love Mozenrath's character. I can honestly and completely say that he is my favorite Disney character! He is just so interesting and fun to write! It's kind of cool that people are all of the sudden starting to like him, so now I can fangirl with them! (Before, there was like only 2 or 3 of us in this fandom that actually knew who he was) XD Anyway, the song I kind of intermingled into this was "Where I Want to Be," from the musical, Chess. It's sang by Josh Groban...and it's way too catchy. XD_**

**_If you have a Disney story that you would like to have written by me, send a message! Don't be shy!_**

**_Please review!_**


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